Osso Buco with Creamy Polenta and Gremolata

Yes, yes, I know it has been forever since I posted anything (actually over a year).  I have been trying to follow the idea of less talking more doing. For the most part, this has been a very productive approach.  Now I am kind of swinging the other direction. More talking, more relaxing...

Dinner

Marinated Black Green and Kalamata Olives, Goat Cheese, Roasted Garlic, Smoke Roasted Pepper Pork Loin, Crusty Baguette, Fresh Thyme and a little white...

Finally, Foraging Success!

I have been looking for several years... Finally I found one. Knelt down to take a photo and saw three more. Like my brain finally clicked and made the connection. I spent 3 hours traipsing thru the woods on a wonderfull hike and on my way out these were all found within feet of the trail...

Seven black Morels and the solitary Yellow. Not a major score but enough for dinner.

So I grilled a Flat Iron steak & baby Bok Choy, Steamed assorted baby potatoes all just to keep those delicious Morels company. I sauted them in evoo with a pat of goat milk butter and a light touch of salt & pepper. absolutely delicious.

Ceviche

This Ceviche was very delicious. So I cut some Tilapia (1/2lb), Pollock (1/2lb) and Scallops(1/4lb) into bite sized peices then marinated them in a combination of the juice of Limes, Lemons, Meyer lemons and Oranges with chopped Red onion (1 large), chopped Serrano peppers (2), minced Garlic (2) and some salt (3tsp). After about 8 hours (in the fridge) I tossed in some salad shrimp (1/2lb) chopped Tomatoes (3) and Cilantro. Then let the flavours blend for 10-15 minutes, topped it with some fresh cracked pepper and served it with chips.

Steamed Mussels, Vegetable Stirfry and Israeli Couscous

I scrubbed and debearded the Mussels then steamed them with finely chopped Lemon grass, 2 cloves Garlic, 1 Seranno chile, shallots, a little fish sauce and the juice of 1 lime for 5-7 minutes in a skillet with a tight fitting lid. Then topped them with fresh cilantro and green onions.

For the stirfry I used 2 Tbs each Sunflower seeds, Pumpkin seeds and Sesame seeds toasted in a skillet. Then I added minced garlic and a 1" piece ginger very finely minced. cooked til aromatic. then added Oyster mushrooms, Zucchini and carrots. To this I tossed in 1 bunch coarsely chopped Mint and 1 bunch coarsely chopped Watercress. topped it all with a sauce made from Black bean paste, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and brown sugar since I was unable to find Jaggery. The contrast between the seeds and veg was wonderful. The sauce was nice and rich.

The Couscous I just cooked in mushroom stock...

The meal as a whole was fresh, crisp, earthy, rich and spicy. All in all quite delicious.

Adventure Eating - Alpine Deli

My concept of adventure eating is going somewhere you have never been before and eating something you have not tried before. This qualifies in the new place instance but not in the meal... So I was walking along on my lunch break trying to find a place to eat and I stumbled on the Alpine Deli. Thinking I would check it out I found they have all sorts of imported foods, fresh baked breads, meats, cheeses, beers, wines etc. and, they serve lunch. I settled on a couple of Brautwurst with Kraut and Warm German Potatoe Salad. Delicious I tell you. Oh yeah, I just had to pick up a Wendler Schicht Nougat Barren. It was creamy, smooth and all around amazing!

Adventure Eating - The Monte Cristo

So, I never had one before. It sounded interesting. It was delicious. The fresh fruit was wonderful and the sorbet toped it all off delightfully.

Bandilleras and vegetable plate

Proscutto wrapped cantaloupe

Cherry tomatoes & Black Olives, Pimento stuffed Green Olives with Capers & Cheddar

Lemon juice dipped Avacado with Smoked Gouda

Carrots, Snap Peas, Broccoli and sliced red peppers.
There was also a wonderful barbqued pizza but it didn't survive long enough for photos.

Prometheus Springs

So, I stumbled on these the other day and decided to try the Pomegranate Black pepper capsacin spiced elixer... I have to say I loved it. Sweet Spicy and not too hot but that pleasant burn in the back of your throat. The whole experience made me remember buying Brainalizer when I lived in Seattle except, that was pink and carbonated. Spice up your life.

Breakfast

Sunday Mornings can be nice when you start off with a Mushroom Omelet

And finish with fresh Strawberries and fat free Cottage Cheese.
A nice French press of Coffee brewed with a little Cardamom and Coriander.
Delicious.

Banh Mi

Grilled Pork Bahn Mi from Vien Dong. Delicious and only $2.75. You can't beat that!

Sopa de Albondigas

For the Meatballs - 1/3 cup white rice, 1/2 lb ground beef, 1/2 lb ground pork, 1/4 cup fresh mint chopped, 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped, some dried Oregano rubbed between palms, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper

For the Soup - 2Tbsp Olive Oil, 1 large onion chopped, 2 clove garlic minced, 3 quarts stock (chicken beef vegetable or any combination of), 1 cup tomato sauce, 2 large carrot sliced into odd chunks, 2 zucchini sliced into 1/2" pieces, couple handfuls fingerling potatoes

cook onion until tender in olive oil, add garlic cook 1 minute, add broth and tomato sauce, Bring to boil reduce to simmer, add potatoes and carrots.

Make meatballs.

Add to meatballs and zucchini to the soup. Simmer 1/2 hour, Add cayenne pepper to taste and 1tsp dried oregano, Serve and top with fresh chopped Cilantro and a squeeze of fresh Lime.

Dinner

Pan seared Salmon, Steamed baby Broccoli, sauted Garlic Chipotle Mushrooms and Artichoke Bean salad with Blue cheese & Honey Mustard dressing

I don't really have a recipe so here goes.

For the Salmon, Salt and pepper - Pan Sear

For the Broccoli - Steam 10 min.

For the Mushrooms - heat olive oil (2 Tbsp ish) in skillet over medium high heat, add Garlic (1-2 cloves minced) saute 30 seconds, add Mushrooms, saute until they have absorrbed most of the oil, reduce heat until mushrooms release their liquid, return to medium high heat, add a palm full of ground homemade chipotle peppers, saute until most of the liquid is gone.

For the salad - 1 can Artichoke hearts quartered, 1 can Canellini beans, 1 can garbanzo beans. in a bowl wisk together some olive oil (2 Tbsp?), the vinegar of your choice (I used rice 1 Tbsp), some honey and some Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Top with blue cheese.

More honey makes it sweeter, more mustard makes it well, more mustardy...

Not Moros y Cristianos

Ok, let me say this was supposed to be a post of Moros y Cristianos but when I started cooking tonight and got to the point I needed my black beans, I turned around and realized in my rush to head off to work this morning I forgot to put the water in the bowl to soak them. In an attempt to save my big mistake, I rumaged thru the cabinets and came up with a can of Great Northern Beans. It worked and tasted great but, cannot really be called Moros y Cristianos.

So, I sauted a chopped Onion, 1 roasted Green Bell Pepper, 4 minced cloves Garlic, 1 1/2 tsp Cumin, 1 tsp Thyme, some crushed red Chipotle peppers and a bay leaf...

Stirred in 1 can Tomatoes and Chilis, 1 cup Rice, 1 can Great Northern Beans (yes should have been Black beans), 2 cups chicken stock, 1ish Tbsp Cider Vinegar, Salt and Pepper to taste, some Pimento stuffed Green Olives and some Capers. Simmered 20 minutes and here it is...

The end result tasted great. So, even with mistakes (and believe me I have made plenty) all is not ruined and dinner can be saved. I just have to be flexible...

Phad Thai

Ok soak your rice noodle in cold water 2-3 hours or in warm water 45minutes to 1 hour.

While noodles are soaking you can prep the other ingredients. Which is a good idea because the cooking goes fast

So, shell about 1/4 lb. Shrimp. Mince 1 clove garlic. Crack and mix 1-2 eggs. Measure 1/4 cup fish sauce. Measure 1 Tbsp Paprika. Measure 1/4 cup sugar. Chop 1/4 cup unsalted roasted Peanuts. Measure 1 cup Mung bean sprouts. Slice 1 green onion in 1 inch peices. Shred some Carrot and slice a Lemon.

Ok heat 3tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or skillet. Add Garlic, Egg and Shrimp. Scramble until done. Reduce heat to medium.
Add well drained Rice noodle and cook until noodle is transluscent.

Add Paprika, Sugar and fish sauce. Cook until sauce is thickened and coats the noodle.

Add Peanuts, Mung bean sprouts and Green onion. Finish cooking Garnish with Carrots and Lemon wedges.

Serve. Enjoy.

Do you know the mushroom man?

I got Matsutake.

Thai Red Curry Chicken

Ok this is so simple. Over medium heat, fry about 1 Tbsp Red Curry Paste in 1/2 can of coconut milk. Add 2 oz. Fish sauce, 2 Tbsp Granulated sugar and the protein of your choice. here mine is chicken... Continue cooking until chicken is done. Throw in some Keffir Lime leaves, straw mushrooms and your choice of veg like bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts or those little corn. Whatever you like. Add the rest of the coconut milk. Heat thru. garnish with basil. serve hot with Jasmine rice.

I have to say, This turned out amazing!

Matts homemade Paneer

Paneer, a non melting cheese used in Indian food is easily made at home.

Boiling all equipment to be used for 5 min should kill any unwanted bacteria.

4 oz. fresh lemon juice. we will use its acid to curdle the milk.

1 gallon whole organic milk. Make sure it has not been ultra pasteurized.

Bring milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring to prevent scalding. Once the milk reaches a gentle rolling boil reduce heat to low and add lemon juice while stirring. The milk will seperate forming large curds leaving clear Whey.

Let the curds sit until they sink to the bottom of the pan.

Ladle curds into a colander lined with cheese cloth or butter muslin. Tie corners together and twist to remove excess Whey. Untie corners and wrap neatly. the nicer you wrap the nicer your final cheese will look.

Press curds/cheese under weight 1-2 hours. the longer you press the firmer the cheese.

End result should be a nice fresh mild cheese somewhere between 1-2 lbs.

This one weighs 1 lb. 5 1/2 oz.

Matsutake in Kombu Bonito Dashi

Ok so we got some Kombu (seaweed) and Bonito (dried fish) Flakes.

heat water to simmer removing kombu just before it boils.

Turn off heat, add Bonito flakes and let sit until bonito sinks to the bottom.
strain with collander lined with cheesecloth. Return to heat. Add Matsutake and shrimp

To dress this one up I added Scallions and tiny amount of Cilantro.
light fresh and the smell is amazing.
I also made Matsutake Gohan.
Yum!